Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Ch&#363;goku region of western Honsh&#363;, the largest island of Japan. It became the first city in history destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States of America dropped an atomic bomb on it on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II.

Hiroshima was rebuilt after the war, with the help from the national government through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law passed in 1949. It provided financial assistance for reconstruction, along with land donated that was previously owned by the national government and used for military purposes.

Hiroshima was proclaimed a City of Peace by the Japanese parliament in 1949, at the initiative of its mayor, Shinzo Hamai. As a result, the city of Hiroshima received more international attention as a desirable location for holding international conferences on peace as well as social issues.